Ole Miss AD, State's Polk up for raises

New Mississippi athletic director Pete Boone will be paid more than his predecessor, and Mississippi State baseball coach Ron Polk will be getting a raise. <br> <br> Salaries for Boone and Polk have been recommended to the state College Board, and approval is considered a formality. <br> <br> Boone, who returned to Oxford for a second stint as the Rebels&#39; AD last month, will be paid $200,000 annually, according to College Board documents. <br> <br> Boone&#39;s base salary would be higher than the $171,425 paid to former Rebel AD John Shafer, who resigned in April. <br> <br> Polk is recommended for a $24,000 increase, bringing his base pay to $150,000. That would equal the new salary of Ole Miss baseball coach Mike Bianco, who received an 87.5-percent jump last month, from $80,000 to $150,000. <br> <br> Mississippi State athletic director Larry Templeton said last month that Polk&#39;s base pay of $126,000, plus incentives, brought his total package to $146,000. It is not known if Polk&#39;s incentives package was increased or remained the same. <br> <br> Templeton and Southern Miss AD Richard Giannini make $136,028 and $140,004, respectively. <br> <br> Counting supplements from private foundations, Templeton&#39;s total package is $159,996 and Giannini&#39;s is $164,004. Supplemental income for Boone was not available. <br> <br> In other sports agenda items, Ole Miss chancellor Robert Khayat has recommended to the College Board extensions for football coach David Cutcliffe and men&#39;s basketball coach Rod Barnes, signing both to new four-year deals the longest allowed under state law. <br> <br> Cutliffe&#39;s base salary is $136,500, while Barnes&#39; base is $107,500. Both receive outside compensation, but the school does not release those figures. <br> <br> Khayat said Boone&#39;s salary would put him in the middle of the pack among the athletic directors at the Southeastern Conference&#39;s 12 universities. <br> <br> While the figure might raise a few eyebrows in lean economic times, Khayat said it only reflects the cost of doing business these days. <br> <br> ``As much as we might prefer it otherwise, that&#39;s just the way it is,&#39;&#39; Khayat said. ``Our mission is to operate the finest university we can, and that includes athletics. <br> <br> &#39;&#39;(Boone&#39;s salary) is absolutely at the midpoint of the Southeastern Conference. What we try to do here at Ole Miss is hit the midpoint, whether it&#39;s compensation for an administrator or a professor.&#39;&#39; <br> <br>